The Ambulance Ride
by melody425
Summary: Sherlock gets shot in the leg while solving a case. John calls an ambulance and tries to go with Sherlock, but gets informed about a new hospital rule. How will John find a way around this new rule and more importantly what will Sherlock's reaction be? Johnlock fluff. I do not own the tv show Sherlock, any of its characters, or any affiliations. Please review! :)
1. Holding Hands

As Sherlock was loaded into the ambulance, John tried to climb inside.

"I'm sorry sir," the paramedic said, "our hospital has a new rule: only family members are allowed to ride inside. You'll have to meet us at the hospital and wait in the waiting room."

John's mind went into overdrive. He looked at Sherlock who was still conscious. He could tell that Sherlock was scared from the look in his eyes, even though in typical Sherlock fashion, he was trying to hide it. John was not going to leave him alone.

"But…but…" he began stammering to the paramedic, "I'm his husband!"

Sherlock's eyes dilated from shock for a split second, but then immediately he masked his shock as the paramedic turned to him and asked, "Is he your husband?"

Sherlock cleared his throat and then articulately replied, with a bit of vehemence in his voice, "Yes! Of course he's my husband!"

"Apologies sirs, I'm just used to seeing wedding rings."

"Well…" John began, unsure of what to say.

"We're an unconventional couple," Sherlock finished quickly.

Once John climbed in to sit next to Sherlock's bed, the paramedic closed the ambulance doors and they were off. John's face was still a little flushed from his sudden apparent marriage to Sherlock.

Although Sherlock was still in some pain, the morphine the paramedics were giving him was making him feel much better than before. To distract himself from the pain he was feeling, he decided to focus on John. Seeing the flush on John's cheeks made him smirk. Maybe he could amuse himself a bit with this.

"John, dear, would you hold my hand?" Sherlock found it hard to keep himself composed at the glare John was now giving him. It was probably because of the drugs, but Sherlock really wanted to giggle at John's pissed off expression.

John on the other hand hadn't moved a muscle since he had spoken and Sherlock wanted to milk this for all it was worth so he added for effect, "Please sweetheart?"

John signed inwardly as he quickly picked up Sherlock's hand since the paramedic had started looking at him suspiciously. "You're going to be just fine…honey," the last word said through John's gritted teeth.

Sherlock smirked at him again, but there was also a genuine smile of relief hidden underneath the smirk that reached his eyes. John's glare turned into a reassuring smile and he squeezed Sherlock's hand gently. Absentmindedly (or maybe it was the drugs talking) Sherlock brought his other hand up to rest it on top of John's hand that was holding his. Their eyes locked for a few moments until John cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away. He ended up looking into the eyes of the paramedic who smiled sweetly at him, therefore making John blush all over again.


	2. Bathing Beauty

Keeping up the charade of acting like a married couple didn't end up being that difficult for either Sherlock or John: a 'honey' here, a hand hold there. It almost began to feel routine. They even got used to the sweet looks they received from the doctors and nurses. However, those sweet words and looks would lead to a situation that neither one of them expected.

"John, could I speak to you for a moment?" the nurse named Jackie asked.

"Of course, be back in a minute dear," John said to Sherlock, smiling and patting his hand.

Sherlock smiled back brightly. It was becoming like a game to both of them: how many people could they outsmart into thinking they were a real couple? Neither would admit it though that they were both questioning the authenticity of their con.

Jackie took John to a corner of the room to speak to him privately. Sherlock rolled his eyes. He did not understand this social construction. 'Why do people feel the need to pull someone aside to talk "privately" when in reality they are still within earshot of others?' he thought. Sherlock didn't even have to strain to hear them.

"How comfortable are you in giving a sponge bath?"

"Sorry, what?" John asked perplexed.

"Just between us, we're a little short staffed this evening and your hubby, as you know, has really wanted a shower. Unfortunately with the bullet wound in his leg, a shower is not easily possible at this time. I figured you wouldn't mind giving him one. I know that as a doctor, it isn't usually one of your duties, but I figured you'd make an exception for your husband," she finished with a wink.

John rubbed the bridge of his nose stiffly and slowly nodded. "Of course," he replied, with his voice cracking on the word 'course'.

"Great!" Jackie smiled, "Thanks!" John cleared his throat awkwardly as she handed him the wash basin, soap, sponge, and towel. Then she left.

Holding all of the materials, John headed back to Sherlock's bed, unsure of where to look. Sherlock also had the same problem for a moment, but then the logical and rational side of him took control.

"John, look at me." It took John a few seconds to look Sherlock in the eye. "This should not be a problem," Sherlock continued, "I am a patient and you are a doctor; albeit this is not a normal duty for you, you should be able to just treat me like an ordinary patient, even though I am not ordinary."

John let out a heavy sigh as he tried to focus. "Yeah," he began, trying to look at Sherlock as just a random patient, "Yeah, I can do this. Sit up please."

Sherlock obeyed without a word. Parts of his back peeked out in between the ties of his gown. Both John and Sherlock held their breath unknowingly as John undid the ties. Sherlock involuntarily shivered as John slid the gown down over his shoulders. John was glad to see they had let Sherlock leave his boxers on.

"If this is too much for you John, I can do it myself," quipped Sherlock dryly, not knowing that his sudden agitation was out of self-consciousness.

"Sherlock, you're practically stoned! If you tried to bathe yourself now, you'd make a mess everywhere!"

"Fine!" he sulked, like a small child.

John squeezed a few drops of soap into the warm water and then gently swished and squeezed the sponge around in the now soapy water. He started at the top of Sherlock's shoulders with small circular ministrations and worked his way down his lean back. Sherlock had to purse his lips in order to trap a small moan that wanted to come out of this throat. The water was just so warm and John's movements were just so soothing.

John couldn't get over how thin Sherlock was. Yes, he had seen Sherlock without a shirt before, but never leaning forward, allowing his skin to stretch over his spine and ribs, which were really visible.

"You need to eat more," John stated in a commanding tone.

Sherlock decided to not even dignify John's statement with a verbal response, instead he just huffed. After John finished washing Sherlock's back, he toweled it dry.

"Sit back now," John ordered, but in a friendlier tone than before.

Again, Sherlock complied. John was just as displeased with how thin Sherlock's chest looked, but decided to leave it be since he was just supposed to be a random patient and not someone he loved…like a brother. John began the same ministrations on his chest. Sherlock began to relax into John's touch and even let his eyes flutter close as his breathing relaxed.


	3. Cute

Sherlock awoke sometime later feeling better rested than he had in a long time. After a small sigh of contentment though, he became confused. The last thing he remembered…was getting a sponge bath…from John…

Sherlock looked to his left and saw John sitting in a chair reading a newspaper. "What happened?" he asked him in his low baritone voice.

"Well," John began as he folded the newspaper, "you fell asleep while I was giving you your sponge bath," he finished with a smile.

Displeased by this, Sherlock's lips turned into a frown and he muttered, "I did not".

"Uh…yeah, yeah you did," John insisted, then added absentmindedly, "It was quite cute actually." Upon realizing that he had just voiced that private thought aloud, John turned his back to Sherlock to organize his newspaper and therefore conceal his blush.

Sherlock on the other hand, oblivious to the true meaning of John's comment, simply asked, "Pray tell, John, how was I…cute?" He said the last word like it was poison in his mouth. Sherlock did not like the word cute. To him, it meant weak and he never wanted to be seen as weak.

To mask the intimacy of his comment, John decided he would go the teasing route. "Well…" he began as he turned back to face Sherlock, "first you shivered under my touch, then as you relaxed and started to doze off, you began almost purring. Once you were asleep, you had this contented grin on your face," he finished by demonstrating the goofy smile.

"How can you prove this?" Sherlock snapped, not finding any of it amusing.

"Alas, I can't. You'll just have to take my word for it."

That stumped Sherlock. He trusted John more than anyone in the world. It was hard for him to believe that John would lie to him, even just in fun.

"Fine," he conceded. "I was…cute…but this experience and conversation must never leave this room."

"You have my word," John said as he dramatically bowed his head. Both men began to chuckle. "Can you imagine if Lestrade, Donovan, or Anderson find out I am claiming to be your husband? The jokes would never stop!"

Sherlock steepled his fingers over his lips in thought. John's heart skipped a beat, unknowing that the steepled fingers pose of Sherlock's was the one his heart found most attractive.

"Hmm…" Sherlock mused, "We could beat them to the punch…"

"How so?"

"Bear with me John, but what if we actually told them we got married?"

"What?!" John screeched, jerking his head and his eyes up to lock onto Sherlock's.

"Think of how hilarious their reactions would be! We could just continue pretending for a while and then later reveal how it was all a prank! At least it would stop them from teasing us first."

John pondered his statements for a moment. "That is true…why the hell not! This way, when they come by, we won't have to stop our con on the doctors and nurses and I won't get in trouble for lying if we wait to tell them it was all just a prank once we're back at home."

"Exactly!" Sherlock exclaimed. "Now we just have to lay in wait until they arrive…"


	4. Doctor Watson

It was some time later when John had finished reading his newspaper. No doctors or nurses had disturbed them in quite some time and they were still waiting for Lestrade, Donovan, and Anderson to arrive. When John had gone back to reading his paper, Sherlock had gone into his mind palace to do some re-organizing, filing, and deleting, but now as John put his paper on the bedside table, he could see that Sherlock must have finished as he was now looking at his right shoulder while rubbing it with his left hand.

"You okay?" John questioned.

"No! I must have pulled this blasted shoulder when I fell. It is causing me considerable pain at this moment."

"Here, let me look at it," John offered, but Sherlock shied away.

"You're not technically my doctor, John. I should probably hit my page button to call one of my nurses."

John crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright, if you want some stranger disrobing you and poking and prodding you, be my guest."

Sherlock huffed. It was no secret that he hated being touched by strangers. "Fine!" He quickly pulled his blankets down with his good arm and began trying to untie his gown rather awkwardly.

"Let me help," John said softly, as if he were speaking to a child. Sherlock pursed his lips in frustration, but let John help him.

Once his shoulder was exposed, John began feeling around it and testing its range of motion. Occasionally he would hear Sherlock hiss in pain, but not frequently.

"I don't think you've done anything terrible to it, just what we'd call a knot. You probably slept on it the wrong way."

"Okay…" Sherlock began, clearly unimpressed, "what can I do to make it stop hurting?"

"You can't do anything and you can't have any more pain meds, but I think I can massage the knot out."

"You…give me…a massage?" questioned Sherlock slowly, a skeptical look on his face. "Is that appropriate?" he asked, unsure.

"Well, I am your husband," John stated, using air quotes around the word 'husband', "at least for the time being and if you want any relief, I think this is your best bet."

Sherlock thought for a moment, carefully considering if he'd be able to deal with this muscle pain and then quickly decided he wouldn't be able to stand it for much longer.

"Alright, Doctor Watson, you're up."

John gave a small smile at the formal title and then flexed his fingers while thinking of how best to give his friend a massage. After a few seconds, John scratched his forehead and cleared his throat, "So this is going to sound awkward, but I think the best position for us to be in would be me sitting behind you 'Ghost' style…"

"_Ghost style_?" Sherlock interrupted, "I don't know what that means! Is it a pop culture reference? If so John, you know that I do not fill my head with such trivial things!"

John rolled his eyes and sighed. "It's a movie. Anyway, what it means is that since your leg is injured, you can't get up out of bed. Therefore, I am going to need you to sit up, scoot forward a bit in the bed, and then I will sit behind you with my legs straddled on either side of you," he finished almost out of breath.

"Why couldn't you have just said that in the first place?" Sherlock inquired sharply as he began doing what he had just been told.

John couldn't help but roll his eyes again as he began to climb into the bed behind Sherlock. It took a minute to position himself correctly behind Sherlock and then he said to him, "Okay, lean back."

As Sherlock did so, he slowly realized that he was leaning back into John's chest. He swallowed thickly. This was as close as he and John had ever been before. John also had the same realization as he tentatively placed his hands on Sherlock's shoulders. John's hands felt so warm on Sherlock's bare skin that his shoulders began to tingle.

"No sense in favouring one shoulder over the other," John joked as he began a gentle yet deep massage, trying to keep his hands from shaking with nervous excitement.

Sherlock didn't even respond because he was holding his breath, afraid he'd begin to "purr" again as John had called it. Eventually though, he had to start breathing again and just as he began relaxing into John's touch, his hospital room door opened loudly.


	5. Frozen

"Here they are! Such an adorable couple," Jackie, the nurse, crooned, gesturing to Sherlock and John.

"Couple?!" Lestrade practically yelled. In a split second, Donovan and Anderson's heads appeared, one over each of Lestrade's shoulders.

"Uh…yeah…" John replied, voice shaking.

"It's alright dear John," Sherlock began, "I think it's finally time to tell them."

"Tell us what?" roared Lestrade.

John opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, so Sherlock took the lead.

"John and I", he began, while patting John's right hand, which was still frozen on his shoulder, "got married recently."

Lestrade and Donovan's mouths opened wide simultaneously, while Anderson's eyes went wide.

"Married?" Anderson exclaimed.

"Yeah," John replied quietly; 'yeah' seeming to be the only word he was capable of saying at the moment.

Then Sherlock did something that made even John's eyes go wide. In one swift movement, Sherlock picked up the hand he was patting, pulled it to his lips, and kissed the top of it!

John's mind immediately went into overdrive. 'Sherlock bloody Holmes just kissed my hand! And in public!' he thought incredulously. He wondered what was going through Sherlock's mind. His facial expression seemed calm.

Lestrade was the first to break the stunned silence by clearing his throat. "Well…uh…congratulations you two. We were all starting to wonder when it would finally happen."

Both John and Sherlock froze in each other's arms at the exact same time.

"What…what do you mean?" John managed to stammer out.

"How long have you been expecting this?" Sherlock asked his voice eerily quiet.

"Well for me, since the first time I saw you two together," stated Donovan boldly, speaking for the first time since entering the room.

"I started suspecting a few months after that," added Anderson.

"And me, a few months after Anderson," finished Lestrade. "Really, we should have set up a betting pool."

Both Donovan and Anderson nodded in agreement. Now it was Sherlock and John's turns to be stunned into silence with wide open mouths and eyes.

"Well," Lestrade continued, "we should…uh…let you two get back to…uh…whatever it was you were doing," he finished chuckling. Anderson and Donovan joined in the laughter as they headed out of the room.

Sherlock and John sat there frozen, staring at the doorway their three co-workers just exited. Neither Sherlock nor John wanted to move first or speak first as neither knew what in the world to say, do, or think after that conversation.


	6. Realization

Neither Sherlock nor John were sure how long they had been staring at the doorway, still in their frozen position from when Lestrade, Donovan, and Anderson had left. Suddenly, as if there was a negative electrical charge between them, Sherlock and John separated as if they had been zapped from just touching each other. In a split second John had practically leapt over the bed railing and was now standing in the corner farthest away from Sherlock.

As John did this, Sherlock repositioned himself in the bed, slowly leaning back into his pillow, his fingers steepled below his chin; clearly pondering the conversation that had just happened.

"I cannot believe I am saying this, but Lestrade, Donovan, and Anderson brought up some interesting points," mused Sherlock.

"Interesting points?" John roared. "They think I'm actually gay! This was just supposed to be a game! Not real! I'm not gay!" He yelled.

Sherlock was slightly taken aback by John's sudden outburst, but kept his face composed to hide his surprise.

"Did I or they actually say that you were gay?" Sherlock inquired calmly.

"Well, no!" John continued yelling, "But they assumed that I was in a gay relationship!"

"Assumed that **we** were in a gay relationship," Sherlock corrected. John just glared at him. "Being gay and being in a gay relationship are two very different things," he finished matter-of-factly.

John inhaled sharply. He was getting so very frustrated and was in no mood for a Sherlock deduction, but he also had no clue as to what Sherlock was saying. "How's that?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Sherlock sat up to explain. "Being gay implies that you are only attracted to members of the same sex while being in a gay relationship simply implies that you are attracted to a person of the same sex."

John pinched the bridge of his nose. "Isn't that the same thing?" he sighed heavily.

"Of course not! I thought my explanation was clear…" When John only stared at him, Sherlock realized that his explanation, though clear in his mind, was obviously not clear enough for John, so he would try again. "Being gay implies that you are making a blanketed statement of only being attracted to members of the same sex while being in a gay relationship technically only implies that you are attracted to the person you are currently in a relationship with, who happens to be of the same sex. A person in a gay relationship could also have past and future straight relationships as well as other gay relationships. Do you understand now?"

"Yes, I think so, but how does this relate to us?" John asked; feeling completely lost as to the relevance of their current conversation.

"As you obviously have learned John, I am not one for having romantic relationships, but that does not mean that I don't have theories about romantic relationships. As I have told you in the past, attraction is based on childhood impressions and influences. While I think that people from a young age learn about the qualities they find attractive in a person, I do not think they end up preferring one sex over the other. I think that if every person in this world was completely honest, they would admit to finding members of both sexes attractive."

John squinted his eyes his thought. "So…you basically think that everyone in the world is bisexual?"

"Yes, I suppose so, since that is how society classifies people, but I think that words like bisexual, gay, lesbian, straight are all inane. Why can't people just be attracted to who they are attracted to, whether they are of the opposite or same sex, and not be labeled?"

"Because we live in a world where what people think of you means everything!" John exclaimed quickly, exasperated.

"That is precisely your problem John. You care too much about what people think of you. Really, if you are going to care that much, you better move out of 221B Baker's Street immediately."

"Why Sherlock? Because I suddenly don't agree with your views? It's not like that's never happened before!"

"No John, examine the facts. I am a middle-aged single man with no relationship history, neither romantic nor friendship until you came along. You are a middle-aged man who is often single in between short relationships with women. Throughout all of your relationships and periods of being single we have lived together in the flat we share. We also work together, eat out together, and go out together. Is it really such a wonder that people would assume we were a couple or would eventually become a couple?"

John hated when Sherlock deduced him, so he spat out, "You're telling me that two men cannot be roommates without being gay?"

"John! You're not listening!" Sherlock exclaimed, getting quite frustrated himself. "Answer me this: do you love me?"

John's eyes became as big as saucers. "What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer the question. Do you love me?"

John held his breath for a moment and then in a rush said, "Of course I love you as a friend."

"But would just a friend claim he was my husband in order to stay close to me? Would just a friend be willing to give me a sponge bath and a massage? Would just a friend admit they think I'm cute when I'm falling asleep?"

John could only stand there letting Sherlock's words pile up around him, drowning him. He was so confused and lost for his own words that all he could say was, "I don't know!" He turned his back on Sherlock and ran his fingers through his hair, just trying to breathe. All he could hear was his own heartbeat in his ears.

A few moments later as his breathing was just beginning to even out, John felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He turned around. "Sherlock! Get back into that bed! You can't be standing on that leg yet!" He could visibly see in Sherlock's face the pain he was feeling.

"No," Sherlock said through the pain, "not until you understand that I'm feeling the same way. I don't know either. This realization just dawned upon me also."

John's heart skipped a beat at Sherlock's statement, but was unsure as to why. Before John even knew what he was saying, he blurted out, "Well can you answer your own question? Do you love me as more than just a friend?"

Sherlock's eyes locked onto John's. John could see the wheels turning behind them. He wanted to cover his mouth with his hands. He wanted to curl up in a hole and die. He couldn't believe he had just asked that question of Sherlock as he already knew what his answer would be.

"I…" Sherlock began, seemingly speechless for one of the first times in his life. "I think…I do…" he finished slowly.

John's eyes became wide again at his answer. It was an answer he was not expecting. "But you told me the very first time we ate out together that you were married to your work and were not looking for a relationship."

"Thinking back now, I said that because you scared me," Sherlock muttered and then cleared his throat.

"I scared you?" John half laughed. "How did I scare you?"

"Well, I didn't realize it at the time, but I was already starting to be attracted to you, which was something that had never happened to me before. I felt unprepared and therefore did not want to face it; ergo I make up an excuse."

John couldn't believe the things he was hearing come out of Sherlock's mouth. He almost wanted to pinch himself to ensure that this was real.

"However," Sherlock continued, "it should be noted that since then you became a part of my work and therefore I would not be breaking my rule," he smiled gently, trying to add some humour into the conversation.

John couldn't resist smiling back, but was still so confused. "So what are you saying or proposing we do?"

"I think," Sherlock began, moving his hand from John's right shoulder down to grab his hand, "we should try this. Try us being a couple, I mean. I guarantee it won't be easy as I have never had a romantic relationship before, but I am willing to try. I will be crap at least at first trying to be romantic, trying to share, trying to communicate, but if you're willing to give me a shot, I am willing to give us a shot. What do you think?"

"Well," John started, unsure of what to say. Sherlock began to feel nervous, afraid he was going to be rejected the only time he had ever put his "heart" on the line. John cleared his throat and then continued, "I guess we could try it. I can't guarantee I won't be any more than crap either as I have never lived with a significant other, let alone been in a relationship with another man before."

"I'm sure that together we can navigate the waters," Sherlock stated reassuringly.

"And," John added, "we might as well since everyone apparently thinks we've been in a relationship already!"

Both men couldn't help, but smile and shake their heads, realizing that maybe they should have listened to everyone else sooner.


End file.
